Marvel’s Defenders are known for their heroic acts, but the star behind Luke Cage is under fire for his upsetting comments about Ariana Grande being groped whilst attending Aretha Franklin’s funeral.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Taking to Twitter, Mike Colter posted a message to fans on September 1 concerning Grande. For those unaware, the renowned singer attended Aretha Franklin’s funeral this weekend to perform one of the legend’s songs. It was there Bishop Charles H. Ellis III made a “Taco Bell” joke about Grande’s name that fans thought was racist before tucking the singer to his side. The televised encounter saw Ellis grope the side of Grande’s chest, and it quickly went viral on social media as fans decried the horrifying moment.
Colter decided to share his take on the debacle, but it was in poor taste. The actor reweeted footage of the incident and wrote in a now-deleted tweet, “Now THIS is how you shoot your shot! Zero FCKS!!”
Fans quickly criticized Colter for the post over its insensitivity, and the actor deleted the message from his account after an interlude.
.@LukeCage star Mike Colter tweets(and then deletes) reaction to pastor groping Ariana Grande. pic.twitter.com/rRrQS4qyGv
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) September 1, 2018
Now, Colter is responding to the backlash and saying his tweet’s sarcasm was entirely misunderstood.
“Hello all. I apologize about my tweet earlier. In no way do I condone any such behavior. It was intended to point out the absurdity of the act itself. Complete and biting sarcasm,” Colter explained.
“I realized quickly that it was not taken as such. I was at an event all day. Sorry for the delay,” he added.
Hello all. I apologize about my tweet earlier. In no way do I condone any such behavior. It was intended to point out the absurdity of the act itself. Complete and biting sarcasm. I realized quickly that it was not taken as such. I was at an event all day. Sorry for the delay🙏🏿
— Mike Colter (@realmikecolter) September 2, 2018
The actor isn’t the only one who has apologized for the incident as Ellis released an apology as well. The pastor admitted he maybe crossed a line with his friendly hold on Grande, but it was never his intention to grope the star.
“It would never be my intention to touch any woman’s breast,” Ellis said in a statement. (via Variety)
“I don’t know I guess I put my arm around her,” Ellis said. “Maybe I crossed the border, maybe I was too friendly or familiar but again, I apologize.”
So far, neither Grande nor her camp have commented on the controversy. Marvel Entertainment has kept quiet about Colter’s embattled tweet as well.
What do you make of Colter’s comment? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!
